Tibet, the plateau with the largest number of alpine lakes on Earth, covers totally 23,800 square kilometers lakes, representing thirty percent of national lake resources. Overall, there are more than one thousand lakes, big or small, three of which exceed one thousand square kilometers, namely Namtso, Siling lake and Zhari Namco. Geographically, lakes in Tibet consist of endorheic lakes and exorheic lakes. The former were formed by continuous crustal movement and were scattered mainly in the north and south of Tibet whereas the latter came into existence as a result of mudslide, volcanic eruption and melted snow or glaciers.
To ordinary tourists to Tibet, Lakes are must-see attractions in their tour plan, the top three visited lakes are Namtso Lake,( the biggest lake in Tibet), and Yamdrok Tso Lake( one of the most sacred lakes in Tibet) and Manasarovar Lake ( a holy lake to the southeast of Mt. Kailash), with many more featuring distinct natural scenery. As it is virtually impossible to cover all the lakes in Tibet, 10 major lakes are to be discussed as follows.
1. Namtso Lake 2. Yamdrok Tso Lake 3. Manasarovar Lake 4. Pangong Tso 5. Basumtso Lake 6. Tangra Yum Tso 7. Lhamo La-tso 8. Siling Tso 9. Rawok Lake 10. Peikutso Lake